Roger Ng, ex-Goldman Sachs banker, driven by ‘glory and greed’, jury told
- Defendant was hoping to make partner by helping firm arrange series of lucrative deals even as he sought millions in kickbacks, prosecution says
- Ng is accused of conspiring with former boss Tim Leissner and financier Jho Low to plunder Malaysia’s 1MDB fund; defence says Ng is ‘the fall guy’
Former Goldman Sachs banker Tim Leissner implicated his ex-colleague Roger Ng in a scheme to loot billions of dollars from Malaysia’s 1MDB fund because he wanted “to close the biggest deal of his life” and avoid prison, Ng’s lawyer told a jury.
In closing statements on Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, Ng’s lawyer Marc Agnifilo said it was Leissner who helped Malaysian financier Jho Low carry out the massive fraud, but he named Ng as his co-conspirator after he was arrested by the US in 2018.
“The government caught the person responsible for this and that person was Tim Leissner,” Agnifilo said. “Tim Leissner knew that he could go into this and lie, and so far, he’s done nothing but win. But he’s not believable,” he said. “Roger Ng is basically the fall guy and Leissner is looking to close the biggest deal of his life.”
Leissner spent 10 days testifying as the government’s key witness against Ng, the only Goldman banker to go to trial in the international 1MDB scandal, for which the bank paid more than US$5 billion in penalties. On Monday, the defence lawyer highlighted inconsistencies in Leissner’s account and challenged his credibility.
“Ridiculous” is how Agnifilo described Leissner’s testimony that he and Ng met with Low at his home in London in 2012 and the financier drew a chart of those he intended to bribe, including the former prime minister of Malaysia and Abu Dhabi officials. Agnifilo said Leissner cooperated with the US for almost three years before mentioning the existence of the chart.
“Jho Low is not going to fill a room and say, ‘Hey, I want you to know who I am going to bribe,’” Agnifilo said. “Jho Low is not stupid enough to make an international bribery announcement.”